For season 2, it appears that “The Walking Dead” has adopted a Keep It Simple, Stupid philosophy, one that’s very much on effective display in “Bloodletting.” (Directed, as part of the premiere was, by Ernest Dickerson, and written by new showrunner Glen Mazzara.) This is an episode in which very little happens in terms of major plot movement – though it does introduce a potentially significant new setting and group of characters – and yet it’s very gripping drama.

Essentially, the entire hour is devoted to saving Carl from the errant bullet he took in the chest at the end of the season premiere. Rick races him to the farm of kindly ol’ veterinarian Hershel, Hershel attempts some meatball surgery, his daughter goes to fetch Lori, and Shane and accidental shooter Otis try to outmaneuver a zombie horde to get some necessary medical supplies. Basic stuff, but the performances are strong – particularly Andrew Lincoln’s. We’ve seen parents fret over ill or dying children so many times before, but Lincoln’s grief and despair and plain fatigue are so vividly-etched that it doesn’t feel like a cliche, but like the latest waking nightmare poor Rick has suffered since he sat up in that hospital bed. Every time he allows himself a shred of hope that even if things aren’t going to get better, they can’t possibly get worse, something like his son being shot in front of his eyes happens. Rick endures, but at a cost, and Lincoln shows that cost so well each week of the show, and especially these first two weeks of the new season.

Hershel is played by veteran character actor Scott Wilson (to me, he’ll always be one of the killers from “In Cold Blood,” but is probably best known these days as Catherine’s father on “CSI”), who has kind of grown up to be the new Karl Malden, and who projects the requisite amount of decency and optimism the role requires. We don’t know what he’s been through compared to what Rick and his little band have seen, but somehow he’s able to believe in a future without seeming like a toothless idiot.

(The new group also features familiar character Pruitt Taylor Vince as Otis. I’ve been happy to see Vince in anything going back to his turn as Paul Newman’s simple sidekick in the great “Nobody’s Fool.”)

The scenes away from the farm keep some of this season’s conflicts simmering, as we see that Andrea’s not forgiving Dale anytime soon, while a feverish T-Dog beings to realize that being the only black guy in a group of white Southern zombie dodgers (much less the only black guy in a horror story) might be a disadvantage. (Those scenes also allow Daryl to continue to be humorously awesome, as when he tells the injured zombie to shut up right before matter-of-factly shooting it in the head.)

But the focus is on saving Carl, and what that means for Rick and Lori. We’ve been told before, and we see here in the opening flashback, that their marriage wasn’t on the firmest of ground even before Rick got shot and the zombies took over. There’s a sense that their horrible circumstances have finally given them the closeness they didn’t have in more peaceful times, but whether Carl lives or dies, you have to think there’s going to be a breaking point for these two, especially now that Shane is hanging around and has developed a serious attitude adjustment.

Of course, that would first require Shane and Otis to get away from the zombies at the high school, and all I could think watching that closing sequence is that I’m with Rick and not Hershel on the future: everyone still living is so, so screwed. You may eke out a desperate, meager existence for a while, but there’s always going to be another catastrophe coming, and the zombie totals are going to go up, not down.

Tough life. Tough show. Really good through two weeks.

Before we go to the comments, let me remind you once again about the no spoilers rules for this blog, and specifically how it relates to a show like this adapted from a popular source material:

1)No Spoilers.

2)This includes any discussion of the previews for the next episode.

3)This includes any discussion of storylines from the comic that haven’t happened yet in the timeline of the TV show. (And, yes, the show has and will continue to deviate from the comic in some ways, but for the sake of those instances where they’re going to be the same, I don’t want people talking about something from issue 50 when we’re watching episode 11.)

4)This includes anything you’ve seen or read elsewhere about anything that has not happened within the context of the episodes that have already aired.

Join The Discussion: Log In With

Why has T Dawg never confronted Dale about saving Andrea from the CDC and not his wife? This is really bothering me.

By: sepinwall

10.24.2011 @ 2:11 AM

Was Jacqui his wife? It was never clear exactly what their relationship was, other than being the only two black people in an otherwise-white group. Either way, T-Dog had plenty of opportunity to bring Jacqui with him if he wanted, and he left, so he’s not in a position to get high-handed with Dale about that.

By: Miguel

10.24.2011 @ 2:12 AM

She definitely wasn’t his wife.

By: Austin

10.24.2011 @ 2:14 AM

Yeah, not his wife.

By: James

10.24.2011 @ 2:14 AM

Gotcha. I was waiting for T Dawg to point out that Dale saved the white girl and not the black one when he was talking about how dangerous being the only black person in the group was.

By: elise

10.24.2011 @ 2:15 AM

LOL at the assumption that they must be married because they’re both black!

By: James

10.24.2011 @ 2:18 AM

Well, their final interaction when she told him to go made me think that something was going on. Sorry I pissed everyone off.

By: Nicole

10.24.2011 @ 2:26 AM

Umm, people really don’t seemed “pissed” to me.

By: Anon.Z.Moose

10.24.2011 @ 2:31 AM

I think we can read Elise’s comment charitably as saying this is an assumption we all might make since in TVland this is how things usually work. So your question led to a clarification which is how this is supposed to work.
– Anon.Z.Moose

By: Chip Christian

10.24.2011 @ 12:16 PM

I suspect it’s the “Grand Canyon” rule…

By: TJ

10.24.2011 @ 12:33 PM

I can see why the CDC escape scene made you think they were married. I swear I heard one of them call the other “baby” in that scene. Even if they didn’t, that’s how it played. There were no hints of a relationship other than that, so at the time I was really confused.

By: velocityknown

10.25.2011 @ 12:48 PM

Don’t blame you for making that assumption, if anything we should be worried that the show gave them that awkward goodbye just because they’re both black. Obviously an unnecessary scene.

By: velocityknown

10.25.2011 @ 12:49 PM

Then again, we are talking about a show that gave its one black character the name “T-Dawg”

By: Zombie

10.24.2011 @ 2:06 AM

Loved the blue meth…Shane and the new guy should have brought a flare with them into the trailer so that when they had to leave, they could’ve distracted the walkers again.

By: Miguel

10.24.2011 @ 2:13 AM

Was the meth blue? I didn’t catch that.

By: kowal913

10.24.2011 @ 2:33 AM

I’m such a straight edge, I’ve just assumed all meth was blue. Great Easter Egg though

By: JoeInVegas

10.24.2011 @ 3:00 AM

A bag of the Blue stuff.

Wonder how Walt and Jessie are making out in NM?

By: John

10.24.2011 @ 4:22 AM

I noticed that too! Gotta love the cross-promotion. And somehow I can picture Walt and Jesse, holed up in an RV, fending off zombies with home-made chemicals, bickering like the old days.

By: Ron Darling

10.24.2011 @ 5:23 AM

In the Series finale of Breaking Bad we will find out that Walter White is trying a new process for making meth, but he accidentally creates a poison that starts the Zombie apocalypse.

By: Chester

10.24.2011 @ 5:56 AM

It does seem a little odd that Shane would come up with a plan to get into the medical trailer, but seemingly give no thought whatsoever to how he would get back out again, doesn’t it?

By: jaycjay

10.24.2011 @ 6:26 AM

While watching the climactic scene in the last episode of Breaking Bad (you know the one) I said to my friend I was watching with as he adjusted his tie, “what is this, a Walking Dead crossover?”

By: svetlana

10.24.2011 @ 6:32 AM

This show makes me miss Breaking Bad more than I already do. It’s an ok show, but even the imminent danger of zombies surrounding the guys doesn’t have half as much tension as even the simplest scene from Breaking Bad. It doesn’t help that I just rewatched BB season 4, and most other shows pale in comparison.

By: the minister

10.24.2011 @ 3:49 PM

@Svetlana Don’t be so easy on The Walking Dead. No need to go all nuclear with the Breaking Bad comparison 8) It’s an okay show, and they’re doing better than last year (pilot GREATLY excepted), but I’d much rather watch Mad Men, The Good Wife, Homeland, Supernatural, Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Community, Parks n’ Rec, Downton Abbey, Cougarton Abbey, heck, even Suburgatory. And probably a few I’m forgetting.

By: Angela

10.24.2011 @ 11:36 PM

@ The Minister, Um…’er…, your opinion is valid but so is Svetlana’s and mine. So in the spirit of Alan’s rules I agree to disagree.

By: muh

10.26.2011 @ 6:16 PM

Minister was agreeing with Svetlana.

By: Bill

10.24.2011 @ 2:10 AM

Jacqui wasn’t T-Dog’s wife.

By: Ed User

10.24.2011 @ 4:10 AM

Who said she was?

By: Geoff

10.24.2011 @ 7:00 AM

James did earlier.

By: Austin

10.24.2011 @ 2:13 AM

Decent episode, but the excruciatingly slow pace of this season thus far is turning me off. I’m also hoping they use more flashbacks, as they would help with the painful lack of character development thus far. I need some reason to care about these people and whether they die or not. I’m in the opposite position right now in that I actively hope that the (unbelievably annoying) women on this show die.

By: Viserys

10.24.2011 @ 2:15 AM

I mostly agree with you about character development, but I found myself liking Dale and the redneck guy a little better during this episode.

By: Nathan

10.24.2011 @ 2:24 AM

A slow pace is necessary, otherwise they would tell all of the story up and have nowhere to go. A show like this deserves a slow, measured pace with bits of poignancy and moments of hope peeking out through the shrouds of bleakness. I love it. Also, Norman Reedus is just awesome always. I actually like what Shane presents and brought with his clear change in drive. If this is what Mazzara brings then I see clear sailing ahead. And I see no signs of a budget loss here. And I would love their bottle episode if they went there.

I personally don’t hate the female characters. They have to build Andrea’s character around to her inevitable moment of catharsis. Yes, Carol has nothing to do but she’s a parent, she’s worried about missing daughter. That isn’t much but it’s what anyone would do in a moment of shock. And Lori is Rick’s rock, she’s his strength. That what she has to do in this situation. And she’s doing it well.

By: Remy

10.24.2011 @ 7:31 AM

Thank you Nicole!

By: gk

10.24.2011 @ 10:58 AM

Dale was a bit too much of the cliche “wise old man” the first season for me. I thought he was good in this ep. Good points on the women characters, Nathan. I don’t hate them either, but while I understand Andrea’s stress/hopelessness, I think it is not well written. I still don’t understand why she “feels like an outsider” with the group (from the s2 premiere). Seems all so melodramatic. All well.. I suppose it it best not to look too much into char dev.

By: joel

10.24.2011 @ 3:44 PM

I was wondering when all the female characters on this show would become Skyler White. I don’t think Andrea is any less well-written than any of the male characters. Her despair and pain make sense to me.

By: qrter

10.26.2011 @ 3:31 PM

I have to agree, I normally have no problem with slow shows, but this show is irritatingly slo-o-o-o-o-w.. and I think it’s because a slow show will care less about plot and be very character-driven, yet the characters in “The Walking Dead” are barely a step beyond soap characters, they have little depth. Here’s a show where the situation is definitely more interesting than the characters, yet it constantly focuses on the characters over the situation. It’s frustrating.

By: Patrick_Ren

10.24.2011 @ 2:20 AM

I find Daryl Dixon is the only character I find interesting, funny, or dynamic in this series right now, with the exception of the few times Glenn is given significant screen time. Everyone else is either grating, boring, or annoying. The through line of The Walking Dead is all about survival, and how these characters will survive in a world overrun by zombies, right? The problem with that set up is that I could I’ve a shit less about most of the major characters. This show is what I surmise Lost would have been like if not for the mystery element (another topic for another day) and the better written characters. What if that show was just the survivors of 815 trying to survive on the island while dealing with the others? No thank you. I really hope this series turns around, because I want to like it, I really do.

By: Karen

10.24.2011 @ 4:01 AM

I’m worried about how he’ll react when Merle shows up. I don’t think he’ll be on the forgiving side, even though he ( on the roof) said ” deserve this” . I don’t think it will be a good reunion and Dale will have to choose allegiance to his brother or the group.

By: gk

10.24.2011 @ 11:30 AM

As much as I like Rooker as an actor, I am not looking forward to Merle’s inevitable return. His character was so broadly written and a walking cliche (alt title?).

By: kp

10.24.2011 @ 1:17 PM

That is exactly how I feel Patrick. Rick is boring, Lori and Andrea are annoying, Dale is patronizing, Tdog and Merle are stereotypes, and apparently Glen is actually Short Round. Shane is meh. Daryl is awesome. What a waste of a premise.

By: the minister

10.24.2011 @ 3:54 PM

So far the pilot is the only episode worth half the hype. I completely believe that Darabont wanted to fire the whole writing staff, because I don’t give half a crap about any of these characters (Daryl maaaaaaybe now, but the first-year writers get NO credit for that.)

By: jennyh

10.25.2011 @ 12:09 AM

Good question! Where the eff IS Glenn? He was pretty well-written in the first season (comparatively).

By: Dwayne Mendoza

10.25.2011 @ 10:01 PM

It’s not just that the characters (except for Daryl, whom I think is the only character who did not appear in the comics) are dull. It’s that none of the activities make any sense.

In season one, they had everyone head for the CDC, without bothering to determine whether anyone was there. It didn’t make sense that nobody bothered to collect food or weapons or good cars or rope or clother… but at least the destination (government medical research facility) sort of made sense.

When that turned out to be pointless– and not everyone got out– they immediate set off for Fort Benning, without knowing if that’s a wild goose chase either. They get split up and picked off and behave so foolishly that you feel like they pretty much get what they deserve.

The problem with this episode is that I don’t much care if the little boy dies, because I have no reason to like him. It doesn’t much matter if his parents feel bad– or if they stay together, split op or lose the will to live– because I have nothing invested in them. I don’t remember half of their names, much less the backstories.

There’s never anything interesting or surprising here. MAD MEN or BREAKING BAD might have had the vet get angry when the mom questioned his competence and said “If you don’t like me, then get out and find someone else to save your rug rat” and she’d had to beg him or offer sexual favors to placate him.

Dad is going to give as much blood as is necessary to save the kid– no worries about him dying of blood loss. And if he has to fight off 50 zombies to rescue someone… well, we won’t have to worry about whether he’ll survive.

I keep waiting for the great stories I’ve been told will happen. Haven’t seen squat.

By: stb128

10.24.2011 @ 2:20 AM

That scene where T-Dogg sees the blood spattered car seat was (for me) one of the most uncomfortable moments in watching TV. It may be that for my little one I have virtually the same seat and I have wondered what it would be like to have very small children in such a situation, but, my God, that is going to haunt me.

By: troopermsu

10.24.2011 @ 8:35 AM

I thought that was a great piece of horror that encapsulated the bleakness of the future. Even very small children, the future of humanity, are victims of this scourge. It appeared, based on the residual blood splatter, that someone had shot the small child in the head because, presumably, it had already become infected. A small, tragic piece of stark horror.

By: dif

10.24.2011 @ 6:50 PM

I assumed it had been eaten.

By: jennyh

10.25.2011 @ 12:11 AM

Either way, horror.

By: gk

10.24.2011 @ 2:22 AM

Daryl makes the show for me. Also, I like Shane when he isn’t moping around.

By: Ryan

10.24.2011 @ 2:24 AM

What no Vivian Volkoff joke?

By: Nathan

10.24.2011 @ 2:33 AM

She’s Bela from Supernatural for me, always and forever.

By: bakija

10.24.2011 @ 12:34 PM

Thank you. It was driving me insane that I couldn’t remember who she was. I quite enjoyed her bad ass saving the day on the horse.

By: jennyh

10.25.2011 @ 12:14 AM

That was Lauren Cohan? Whoa. Well, I guess I won’t have to work hard to get over the negative association given that I didn’t recognize her. That said, her appearance was blink-and-you-miss-it.

By: kowal913

10.24.2011 @ 2:32 AM

When Shane and Otis get in the car to head to the high school, Otis puts his gun down, and says something along the lines of “It’s the only one I got.” Was I missing something here or is he just saying he only has one gun. It felt like he was referncing something else that I may have totally missed

By: Anon.Z.Moose

10.24.2011 @ 2:38 AM

I interpreted it as simply a sort of apology for bringing the gun that shot the boy.
-William of Occam

By: Ed User

10.24.2011 @ 4:12 AM

I thought it was more like he was comparing his pea-shooter rifle to Shane’s big-daddy shotgun.

By: thegoche

10.24.2011 @ 5:11 AM

A deer rifle isn’t a pea shooter compared to a shotgun. Different gun for different situation.

That said, for close-quarters zombie fighting such as at the school, the shotgun would be ideal. But out in the woods like they were earlier, the rifle is way better.

By: troopermsu

10.24.2011 @ 8:36 AM

I got the same thing as Anon.

By: blockparty

10.24.2011 @ 2:34 AM

i want to like this show. but i find myself very bored with the first 30-40 minutes. it doesnt get “good” until the last 15 minutes. a lot of hurry up and wait.

otis is dead weight.

By: JoeInVegas

10.24.2011 @ 2:58 AM

“otis is dead weight.”

All I could think of when Othis was running was Rule #1 from Zombieland….

By: MC

10.24.2011 @ 5:08 AM

I think (and this is total speculation — the only comics I’ve ever read involved Archie, Veronica and Betty) that Otis will sacrifice himself next week so that Shane can get away with the supplies.

By: Ed User

10.24.2011 @ 5:52 AM

Great entry, MC!

Unless the next hero on the show is Sgt. Rock, then I’m completely lost.

By: gk

10.24.2011 @ 11:22 AM

I am sure Otis is not long for this world, but here’s hoping he is around for a bit longer. I like the character.

By: Anonymous

10.24.2011 @ 3:01 AM

What was the purpose of the flashback? We knew everything from Rick and Shane’s conversation in the first scene of the show. It’s not like it shed any new light, other than hinting at a background of Shane and she.

As for the topic of women’s portrayal, I think it is an issue. Andrea is the only character, who I believe, that has struggles that engender interest and uncontrived empath. She wrestles with ever choice she makes, yet carries a heavy load cast by the large shadow of her sister. Also. Her relationship with Dale has superficially vacillated between fiduciary, parental, caring, and romantic. We can all connect to a story, where the feel an individeal has overstepped their grounds.

By: John

10.24.2011 @ 4:26 AM

Draws a storytelling parallel of breaking the news of a family member being shot.

By: state

10.24.2011 @ 3:29 AM

Daryl is the new Sawyer.

By: state

10.24.2011 @ 3:50 AM

… and I’m really starting to like this guy.

By: Justin

10.24.2011 @ 3:53 AM

this.

By: Ed User

10.24.2011 @ 4:16 AM

Darryl is the zombie-slayer answer to Saul Goodman.

By: joel

10.24.2011 @ 4:01 PM

Daryl is Feral Sawyer.

By: joel

10.24.2011 @ 4:01 PM

Daryl is Feral Sawyer.

By: joel

10.24.2011 @ 4:02 PM

Sorry about the double-post.

By: Anon.Z.Moose

10.24.2011 @ 3:39 AM

Is no one else bothered by the fact that, while they showed some fencing around the property, overall the house appears to be rather unprotected. Rick runs in with the boy without seeming to have someone let him in or avoid a booby-trap, etc. It achieves the cinematic aim of making the viewer feel nervous but doesn’t seem realistic.
-Anon.Z.Moose

By: Elevation

10.24.2011 @ 6:05 AM

I assume Otis would have mentioned if the front yard was land mined.

By: gk

10.24.2011 @ 11:14 AM

Yeah, I agree with Anon on the house being unprotected. I never thought of the field being mined, the writers are more deliberate than that. If there isn’t a smoking gun in the scene, well than there isn’t a smoking gun. (I hope that makes some sense, it is early :)

By: Mark in Omaha

10.24.2011 @ 3:57 PM

No one on this show (including dead military types) know how to establish a decent perimeter. It’s like the concept doesn’t even exist. Uneducated medieval peasants had a better grasp of the concept. When they came galloping up on the horse to the fencing I was wondering if they were going to jump the fence with two people riding it. The camera cuts away just as they get to the fence, then they are up to the porch. Evidently they leave the gates open.

By: CPETE

10.24.2011 @ 5:53 PM

If you think about it the farm house is perfect.

It’s off the beaten path, so there would be no way a herd could come trapsing over to the house. They can see in all directions for at least a half a mile so any strays that make it out there could/would be seen and silently dealt with so as no not to attract anymore. And let’s be serious, land mines? booby traps? come on, these are regular people in rural Georgia, not former special ops survivalists.

In a zombie apocalypse a farm house in the middle of nowhere with wide open fields on all sides is one of the best places you could be.

By: Elevation

10.24.2011 @ 9:11 PM

The rural farm house in Night of the Living Dead didn’t turn out to be a great hiding spot ;)

By: KansasDan

10.24.2011 @ 3:50 AM

I am growing weary of the fact that the group hasn’t taken advantage of their surroundings when it comes to vehicles (there was a nice Hummer in the parking lot of the High School that would make a fine zombie killing machine), weapons (there were tons of automatic weapons on the ground outside the CDC that nobody bothered to pick up.. meanwhhile Rick is still running around with an outdated revolver that only holds 6 rounds), and many other things they could use to fortify their vehicles, etc. They firt thing I would do once I got out of immediate danger is go looting for weapons, ammo, and supplies. This group seems to ignore that to further the storyline.

By: Jim

10.24.2011 @ 4:31 AM

No one wants to watch 45 minutes of people gathering guns. No one cares about what you think you would do in this scenario. That would be an immensely boring show. This isn’t Zombie Supermarket Sweep.

By: Anon.Z.Moose

10.24.2011 @ 4:46 AM

A real world problem is that most military vehicles use tons of fuel – if they weren’t in such a hurry presumably our heroes could have siphoned out fuel from them. Weapons aren’t much good without ammo and presumably the soldiers expended all ammo trying to ward off the zombie apocalypse.
– Anon.Z.Moose

By: Ed User

10.24.2011 @ 5:54 AM

Hey, Jim: we do care what Kansas Dan has to say; that’s what the message boards are for.

By: Elevation

10.24.2011 @ 6:08 AM

I know hummers get horrible gas mileage, would an old RV be any better?

By: Robert

10.24.2011 @ 6:59 AM

>Jim- “No one wants to watch 45 minutes of people gathering guns.”
No one said that it had to take place on screen.
“No one cares about what you think you would do in this scenario.”
Some of us, if not you, care about what an intelligent character would do in these circumstances. The writers here seem to dumb down the characters as needed in order to generate new adventures.

By: Col Bat Guano

10.24.2011 @ 7:07 AM

Yeah, a Hummer would get terrible mileage, but one with a .50 cal on top might be helpful. I’m with Kansas Dan on this one. Those folks should be armed to the teeth by now.

By: the minister

10.24.2011 @ 4:13 PM

@Col BG They all should have shotguns. They all should know how to shoot em. Including the kids. They should all be in good 4 wheel drives. A simple trip up the freeway would round out the arsenal and motor pool. America is armed to the teeth & would not venture out into zombieland gunless.

By: CPETE

10.24.2011 @ 6:00 PM

So I guess you are also assuming that these Hummers are loaded with ammunition as well?

I would think that most of those military vehicles are low on fuel and ammunition, supply lines would have been cut and before the outpost got over run the soldiers that remained would have probably made a stand expelling a lot of the ammo they had on site.

The whole point of zombies is that they overwhelm you with humbers, and more noise attracts more zombies. How much ammo do you think you need to run into a hoard of zombies screaming YIPPI-KI-AY?

Also guns overheat and jam, 50 cals especially, now you you 100 zombies lurching towards you, with another few hundred on their way because you just made a ruckus, what then?

By: Lifer Knifer

10.24.2011 @ 6:36 PM

I’m a Canadian so excuse my gun-related ignorance, but doesn’t every town, regardless of size have at least one gun store? I find it hard to believe they haven’t pillaged dozens of guns by now, either from stores or vehicles left on the road. You think they’d have them everywhere, taped to the outside of the RV in case you need one in a hurry etc! And haven’t any of these people ever heard of a silencer? That would go a long way in being able to pop a zombie with little noise.

By: Daggor

10.24.2011 @ 6:39 PM

I, too, like to see the characters foraging properly. We saw some of that the past two eps, but they really need to have a caravan going – there are enough characters to add two more vehicles (like, maybe a pickup truck we saw in the group of cars blocking the road… and DO NOT leave all that fresh water in the delivery truck behind!) They have a station wagon, a camper and a chopper. There are enough characters to add those two vehicles, easy. They need to carry supplies with them. They need to make sure they have plenty of transportation of the camper eventually is beyond repair. I’m concerned that the AMC request that more scenes be indoors will have them doing just that.

By: Jim

10.24.2011 @ 8:04 PM

What I know about guns is nothing, but how rare are silencers in real life? Seems to me they would come in real handy given the whole “can’t shoot the other walkers will hear” thing, and that Rick and Shane might know where to find some, no?

By: jaycjay

10.24.2011 @ 9:57 PM

@Jim, in the real world, silencers don’t work as well as in popular culture. Essentially, they may reduce the sound of a gun firing to the level where ear protection isn’t necessary for safety, cutting out 20 to 40 decibels or so. That still leaves even a .22 rifle at a loudness level about that of an ambulance siren.

Of course, this is a TV show so the “real world” doesn’t matter. No reason they couldn’t come across a whole stash of those magical silencers that make a gun just go “phht”, but those don’t actually exist.

By: jaycjay

10.24.2011 @ 9:59 PM

P.S., that’s also why in the real world they’re generally called “suppressors”, not “silencers”.

By: CPETE

10.24.2011 @ 10:15 PM

Silencers are very rare, they are actually illegal. You can have as many guns as you want in America, but private citizens are not allowed to have silencers in America

By: Mark in Omaha

10.24.2011 @ 11:16 PM

They aren’t going to let them find a gun store or even a decent sportings good store in this show. Forget automatic weapons, they are just props to scatter around various scenes. The budget won’t allow them to do it right. Remember the CDC guy, he had an assualt rifle, said there were a whole bunch of them just lying around.

By: kansasdan

10.25.2011 @ 4:08 AM

Well Jim, I’m sorry that my opinion about what I would do in that situation carries no weight with you. Would it help to know that I am a former Sheriff’s Deputy and SWAT team member, and have worked in rural departments much like Rick and Shane? Would it help to know that in my Academy class of 80 other law enforcement officers, only ONE carried a revolver, and he was much older than all of the other students, and we all had to wait on him to reload? Would it help if you knew my knowledge of guns was greater than the average Joe’s, and that what JAYCJAY said about suppressors was exactly right, and what CPETE said about private citizens not having access to them is wrong? Anyone who wants to jump through the hoops and fill out the paperwork can own one. How about the fact that the M16 rifle uses the standard .223 round, which is available in any Wal Mart, farm supply store, or gun store, and that one person with an M16 and a tactical vest full of 30 round magazines would be enough to take down any size herd we have seen on the show so far. Does any of that make my opinion worth your time to read?

As many others said, these people should be armed to the teeth by now, and they should have a large cargo vehicle filled with supplies in their caravan. Anything less makes the characters seem stupid, and only serves to further the plot.

By: Hislocal

10.25.2011 @ 1:14 PM

KANSASDAN….all the credentials you just listed are exactly why your complaints are somewhat invalid….most of us aren’t SWAT members with extensive knowledge of guns and perimeter enforcements….if a character makes a dumb mistake on this (or any) show, it’s probably just because people are actually dumb in real life, and at some point some idiot would really do it.

By: kansasdan

10.25.2011 @ 5:18 PM

You missed the point of listing my credentials. It wasn’t to show off, or say that I knew more than anyone, it was to show that I have the same training as Rick and Shane, and they should know better. True, most everyday people don’t have the knowledge I do, but Rick and Shane DO! And if the writers are going to write law enforcement officers, maybe they should talk to some to get an idea what they would do, since they are deviating so far from the source material.

By: Steve

10.25.2011 @ 7:35 PM

I agree with Kansasdan, the “cops” of the tv show should be better armed. Some tv shows use a police or science consultant that is an ex-cop to make sure certain things aren’t overlooked. Each of us in our own profession can criticize a show if it was about our profession. Being in IT and working on firewalls daily, I was really bothered by how quick they could always hack a firewall in 24. But to the masses of the audience it probably didn’t matter.

But in a zombie survival world, you are going to drive a car like a Hummer or Dodge Ram that can run over bodies and you can arm to the teeth, and carry as much ammo as you can. And I would not be in an RV, with too many broken down cars, the RV is too tough to manuever.

By: gershomatl

10.25.2011 @ 10:04 PM

You’d think one of the characters would’ve read The Stand to get tips on how to live in a post-apocalyptic world.

By: brixie

10.26.2011 @ 12:31 PM

Haven’t they only been together for maybe a week at this point? I mean, I’m pretty sure the pilot only spanned a few days, And this season has only been one full day. I think they’re still supposed to be getting their bearings, hatching plans, and trying to figure out exactly how “bad” the situation is, ie HAS the entire world ended? I’m sure once they settle somewhere, for however long they can, they’ll worry about stocking up. For now, they’re just living minute to minute.

By: Hi!

10.27.2011 @ 8:17 AM

I was under the impression most modern military vehicles are multi-fuel. Revolvers do only hold 5 or 6 rounds depending on model, however they are easy to use, easy to maintain, reliable, can’t be limp wristed, and above all they have few moving parts. There is a reason revolvers are still being manufactured. If you have a swing out or break top revolver and moon clips a revolver could be very nice. That said, most cops I know or have known carry semi-auto handguns off duty(usually modified version of their service gun). I’m with you KANSASDAN, semi-auto light recoil is the way to go. I think I’d probably be using a .22lr with oil filter silencer(you can get them, but if you didn’t already own one I’d imagine they’re hard to come by). .22lr is one of the, if not the most, common rounds, doesn’t take much to silence one, and ruger 10/22 parts are readily available.

By: Bryan L

10.27.2011 @ 9:29 PM

I’m still enjoying the show, but I do agree with KansasDan. I have friends who quit watching because there were so many WTF moments that simply don’t reflect how normal people would behave. The guns are one thing (And why isn’t anybody else looking to loot a sporting goods store for bows and arrows? Daryl knows how they work.) But there are lots of little things, like Rick and Andrea standing in front of glass department store doors and watching zombies bang on them. Why weren’t they piling stuff in front of them? Pushing cabinets and clothing racks over there? That requires no special knowledge, it could be done while the characters talked, and I feel certain that 99% of people in that situation would think “Hey, let’s get something else between me and those zombies!” Of course, the real reason is someone wanted a dramatic shot of zombies crashing through the doors. The problem is, if enough of those WTF moments accumulate, it affects how some people enjoy the show — they start feeling like they’re being talked down to. I think there’s really not enough concern on the part of the writers that the characters’ actions make sense, and eventually it will catch up with them.

By: Justin

10.24.2011 @ 3:52 AM

Alan, don’t forget how good Pruitt Taylor Vince was in “Mississippi Burning”. Very underrated character actor as you know. Great reviews brother, keep it up

By: Ed User

10.24.2011 @ 4:18 AM

He’ll always be Mose Manuel from “Deadwood” to me.

By: jason

10.24.2011 @ 7:58 AM

Me to Ed. But he adds a lot to every movie/show I have seen him in. Even his role in the mentalist

By: Brian Toohey

10.24.2011 @ 1:46 PM

I always remember him from a) Jacob’s Ladder, when that quarter slid across the ground, b) his creepy turn in an early X-Files episode, and c) most recently he was a recurring on The Mentalist.

By: Ed User

10.25.2011 @ 12:58 AM

Brian, if you want to see Pruitt in a creepy role, check out “Murder One, Season 2.”

By: Ed User

10.24.2011 @ 4:10 AM

I really think Shane and Lori were already having an affair long before Rick was shot.

In the flashback, Shane showed up as school was letting out and Lori didn’t look as if it was an odd occurrence to see him there, as if he had been there to pick them up many times before.

By: GCS

10.24.2011 @ 4:36 AM

I assumed she already knew what had happened to Rick and that Shane’s appearance was for an update on Rick’s condition and to help tell Carl.

By: Ed User

10.24.2011 @ 4:46 AM

It’s an odd flashback in that we know the scene takes place before our normal timeline, but it’s indeterminate if Rick has already been shot and is in recovery, then sent back in to surgery; or has he just been shot and Shane is delivering the bad news.

I have to assume that since Shane gave Lori the rundown on what has happened that she doesn’t know.

By: John

10.24.2011 @ 4:52 AM

I’m with GCS in that she knew what happened and Shane was giving an update based on her statement “How do I tell Carl his dad has been shot” without Shane saying anything about Rick being shot.

By: cgeye

10.24.2011 @ 5:06 AM

Nope. A broad, no matter how hardbitten, wouldn’t be discussing the problems in her marriage with a friend, if her husband had just been shot. In fact, she wouldn’t be away from Rick’s side, and Carl wouldn’t spend the whole day at school — she’d pick him up immediately.

As a cop’s wife, if Shane showed up without his partner, and another cop car was with them, I’d assume my husband was at least wounded in the line of duty, and the second car’s to take my son to a friend or relative’s house, while I’d go to the hospital. Like military wives, they know the drill, as it was the worst nightmare they’d have before the walkers.

By: MC

10.24.2011 @ 5:17 AM

I’m with CGEye: If she knew Rick had been shot, she’s a completely different kind of person than we’ve seen. Only a horrible person would find that out, then sit calmly and talk about their marriage problems with a fellow mom. That would be very, very cold.

I think she thought Rick was driving up, then realized mid-walk that Shane was the only one in the car. This is a scenario that I’d imagine every relative of a police officer fears most because they know it could come at any moment.

By: thegoche

10.24.2011 @ 5:17 AM

I got the impression that she saw the cars pull up, just assumed it was Rick stopping by so she went to talk to him. When she sees Shane and not Rick, she realizes something is wrong.

By: John

10.24.2011 @ 5:18 AM

1) “A broad”, really? A bit outdated.
2) If her husband were just shot, it would speak to how incredibly apologetic she was blaming herself for being the asshole.
3) Rick’s partner showing up without Rick might imply something had gone wrong, but she specifically said “shot”, which is a bit too much too infer.

By: Kitty O

10.24.2011 @ 5:41 AM

If she already knew Rick had been shot, why does she look so shocked when Shane steps out? If she knew Rick had been shot, why does she ask if he’s alive and at the hospital? If she knew he’d been shot, why does the scene start with her discussing marriage problems and how she wishes Rick would change? If she knew he’d been shot, why does she suddenly look so stricken about how to tell her son? I’d assume she’d have already been worrying about that.

In conclusion, I’m going to say it makes utterly no sense to assume she already knew Rick had been shot.

By: John

10.24.2011 @ 6:38 AM

Maybe I’m reading the source material too closely, but the fact that she says “shot” seems like the damning evidence to me. And her conversation can easily (in my eyes) be seen as after the fact guilt.

If she knew that he had been shot, but no other details, then asking if he was alive would be a perfectly logical question.

As for Carl, if Rick was shot earlier in the day, and Lori knew about it, it would be perfectly reasonable for her to wait until he was out of school to tell him.

By: Col Bat Guano

10.24.2011 @ 7:11 AM

I think it makes more sense that that line was just poorly written rather than Lori being a sociopath.

By: gk

10.24.2011 @ 10:41 AM

I read it as she didn’t know before Shane showed up. And her reaction that something was wrong when she saw him tells me that they were not having an affair at this point. If anything, the seeds of the relationship were planted right then. You can see it in Shane’s eyes as he watches her talk to her son. Overall, poorly written scene with little to no insight, other than remind us that Rick was shot before too and how taxing that was on his family/friend.

By: GarySF

10.24.2011 @ 1:24 PM

I have no doubt she knew nothing of the incident when Shane arrived. Simply seeing her husband’s partner without him, she felt the need to ask if her husband is alive. This was a worst case scenario, one she’d been dreading as a cop’s wife.

By: Jim H

10.24.2011 @ 9:11 PM

Not condoning…..

broad

A term originated in the 1930’s meaning woman; derived from the fact that the most defining characteristic of all females are their hips, which are proportionally wider than the hips of their male counterparts.

By: Hislocal

10.25.2011 @ 1:21 PM

Guys…..she’s a cop’s wife. When she saw Shane (and another cruiser) come up to her w/ that sorry look on his face, she figured it out immediately.

And as far as her saying “shot”……when a cop is injured/killed in the line of duty, what’s the injury 99% of the time? Complications from being run over by a steamroller? Of course not…you’d immediately assume he was shot.

By: cgeye

10.24.2011 @ 4:54 AM

One question, about THE TALKING DEAD: Why?

Why is Robert Kirkman there, since he’s constrained by the same spoiler rules you have above — no details from the series, nor any details from the comics that might be seen on the series?

Why chat about something that can’t really be chatted about generally, because of those rules?

And, for all those dudes here who were mercilessly dissing Anna Gunn for her looks: Ya think the ladies and gay men really dig the eye candy of TTK’s troll lineup? If these were women discussing the latest MAD MEN ep, the complaints about their looks would be deafening.

As it stands, this half-hour could be far better spent as an online project, so the evening’s run of three WALKING DEAD showings could end sooner.

By: Hector

10.24.2011 @ 5:04 AM

Because it’s about discussing the show, not the source material. And who was making fun of Anna Gunn?

By: cgeye

10.24.2011 @ 5:12 AM

During the latest season of BB, many of the male posters here were very judgmental of Ms. Gunn’s looks. What’s good for the good is good for the gander — if she can be judged, so should they.

And TWD cannot be discussed without discussing the source material — if it were, then Robert Kirkman would not have been chosen as a panelist. In fact, the talk show would be a damn sight better if he weren’t on it — then there’d be none of these frustratingly coy “What about X?” “Oh, I can’t talk about *that*” bullcrap.

He shouldn’t be there, and no geekboy hero comedians should be on the panel, if the ideal is to treat the series as completely separate from the comics.

By: Warwick

10.24.2011 @ 5:57 AM

“And TWD cannot be discussed without discussing the source material”

Sorry, but this statement makes no sense to me. All they have to do is talk about the episode that just aired. No source material discussion required.

By: Hector

10.24.2011 @ 12:46 PM

I’ve not read the source material, but I’m pretty sure I’m still able to discuss the show.

By: troopermsu

10.24.2011 @ 8:20 AM

One thing I’ve been wondering about, how long can the walkers survive without feeding? I thought about this as we saw that large group of them shuffling around the medical trailer at the school. Presumably there are no more humans around there to feed off of. When would they start expiring from hunger or begin feeding on each other?

By: HitFix User

10.24.2011 @ 10:50 AM

I’m under the impression that normal rules of life are irrelevant for the zombies… you know, “destroy the brain”… the legless zombie surviving indefinitely in the beginning of the first season, the animated head Darryl finishes off…

By: gk

10.24.2011 @ 11:08 AM

Interesting thought. Only movie I can think of that even breached this subject was “Return of the Living Dead”. The zombies have limited speech in the movie. They catch one and tie it down. It says they have to eat brains to ease the pain of being dead. It is not exactly the same as how long they survive without food, but the closest I can think of. I suppose we can just go with the they are already dead, they can’ die while the brain synapse is still firing.

By: formamswaterfly

10.24.2011 @ 12:55 PM

Not sure what the rules are. Bodies can’t just move without energy, and they can’t get energy without food. Then again, I don’t imagine the zombies have the requisite survival skills to stay fed. I’m thinking they’ll keep it vague.

By: TJ

10.24.2011 @ 12:57 PM

The scene in the CDC where the see the brain-scan image of how this thing works makes me think they wouldn’t need to feed (much) to survive, since the virus (or whatever) seems to feed off the brainstem and take its sweet time about it. I don’t get the impression from that scene that any of the feeding actually nourishes the formerly human body.

The way I think of the need for these zombies to feed is more of a “propagation of the species” sort of thing. It’s how the virus (or whatever) spreads itself.

By: Mark in Omaha

10.24.2011 @ 11:10 PM

If they need to “feed” then they are alive. But they aren’t alive and have minimal brain activity yet are able to walk upright and even run when the script calls for it. They don’t breathe yet can smell. They have no blood flowing yet their muscles magically work. They “feed” yet their organs have all shut down. How can they digest the food eat? Decay has started (no lips, decaying face etc.) but their eyes still work and somehow they can hear. Keep it vauge indeed.

By: jennyh

10.25.2011 @ 12:23 AM

I think the show is following The Zombie Survival Guide by Max Brooks. In Brooks’ zombie theory, zombies eat flesh out of instinct originating in post-mortem brain function only. Their bodies are dead; they don’t work, as other commenters have pointed out. They just eat flesh and it rots in their digestive system, until, presumably, the zombie body decays to the extent it can’t move anymore. I don’t know what point that would be, though.

I don’t think science supports this kind of virus’s existence, but according to Brooks’s logic, there it is.

By: HitFix User

10.24.2011 @ 10:55 AM

“the zombie totals are going to go up, not down.”

Somewhat disconnected thoughts: I’ve been thinking about this and survival of the humane race. Zombies can’t procreate, but humans can, meaning that the zombie numbers would immediately become static if they eliminated the human race entirely. If humans could actually create a secure location–a impenetrably walled area with agriculture/animals/etc.–then presumably the zombie population would stop expanding and every one killed would be one less, permanently. I can imagine the human race adapting and slowly, slowly killing off the zombies. Of course, there are billions of them, so… long road. But I would imagine at this point there’s not too much expansion left for the zombies. I would think they’ve hit peak zombie.

By: Peter

10.24.2011 @ 4:08 PM

Also the zombies would seemingly eventually “die” off, or at least their bodies would deteriorate or decompose to the point that they were no more than bones and teeth (as Kirkman mentioned on “Talking Dead”, zombies would need at least a brain and a spine to continue “living”). A human body decomposes to bone in about a year ([answers.yahoo.com]). Seems like you could just wait them out if you had a safe enough location with sustainable food.

By: TJ

10.24.2011 @ 12:41 PM

I thought this was the first truly great hour of television this series has given us since the pilot. Just perfect mix of tension, action, character moments, and plot development. Two episodes in to this (much improved) season, and I am pretty close to hooked on this show.

After last week, I told myself that I was going to have severe problems with this show if it let T-Dog, with an open wound on his arm, lay underneath a bleeding zombie without getting infected. While the show hasn’t shown yet whether the infection is zombie-related yet, the fact that that situation led to some repercussions brought me back into the reality of the show.

That said, the one flaw of this episode for me is that Dale was way too quick to believe T-Dog just has a regular blood infection. Especially after how smart he was at first (“Please don’t blow that question off”) his unquestioning nature in the second half of the episode was a little odd. Here’s hoping that was like the radiator hose situation, and that Dale really worries about it being zombie-infection, but would rather get T-Dog to some help before putting the possibility before the committee.

By: DougMac

10.24.2011 @ 12:56 PM

There’s been enough splatter from various encounters that have left no one infected yet to believe that it wouldn’t work that way. plus the guy at the CDC might have told them something that led them to believe it wouldn’t work that way too. I get your point, but I think that it is safe to assume it was in character. Dale may be wrong, but it isn’t necessarily out of character

By: TJ

10.24.2011 @ 1:33 PM

The splatter actually bothers me too. Episode 2 or 3, with Rick donning the plastic clothes and warning not to get any of the zombie guts “on your skin” conditioned me to think of this epidemic in that 28 Days Later, hypercontagious sort of way. But yes, punching zombies in the face seems to go away from that quite a bit.

On the one hand, I think they’re missing out on some good, low-key drama that could develop from really really having to watch out for infection. On the other hand, you can’t have much of a TV show if your characters, say, spend an entire episode deciding whether to drink water from a stream because zombies a mile upstream have been seen crossing the water.

By: jaycjay

10.24.2011 @ 10:06 PM

@TJ: But, Rick doesn’t actually know anything more than we do (arguably, he knows less). He was worried that contact with the “guts” might cause infection, but that doesn’t mean that it’s really the case.

By: Daniel Faradead

10.25.2011 @ 11:47 PM

I see three ends here that seem to have been placed in order to meet eachother:
– Carl needs blood
– Rick won’t be able to deliver much more blood to Carl
– T-Dog is heading for the Vet’s Farm
Now what’s the point in showing Dog wounded just to show him being gently healed by the Vet? Where is drama?
My bet is that Dog has Carl’s same blood type. And the following transfusion might be not without consequence for the little boy..

By: Daniel Faradead

10.25.2011 @ 11:49 PM

…since I believe Dog has been infected by a Zombie (i was almost forgetting this!! ;P)

By: Zombex

10.24.2011 @ 1:49 PM

She stayed behind of her own free will it was mentioned in the season 2 opening episode she wasnt t-dwags wife

By: Clara

10.24.2011 @ 2:28 PM

Count me among the people who are finding the show incredibly boring right now. I am fine with slow pacing, but the editing takes all of the urgency out of every situation, never giving us a chance to watch tense situations play out. I loved the comic books and not much happened in the first three I read, but when it did, we saw the scary moments from start to finish and there was real drama in each scene. That scene at the school when Shane gets supplies from the FEMA trailer could have been a whole episode. The way it was chopped up took away all the excitement.

By: the minister

10.24.2011 @ 4:02 PM

I was thinking The Vampire Diaries would have wrapped this episode up by the first commercial. And come to think of it, add The Vampire Diaries to the list of shows I’d rather watch. Fast paced n’ fast reveals n’ cheese > lame characters + zombies. Add Homeland too. No need to explain that one.

By: Dave I

10.24.2011 @ 4:33 PM

I don’t entirely disagree. I suppose they could have filmed/edited it a bit more dramatically when Shane & Otis had to get in and then out of the FEMA trailer.

That said, I thought the end was pretty claustrophobic (I might have missed how they were going to get out of there, since they did not immediately keep going inside whatever building that was and got stuck in a pretty tight spot between the not-going-to-hold-for-long gate and the doors or whatever behind them), and the zombies seemed a bit faster and more nimble than some and not as easy to escape from as the typical slower-than-a-sloth variety.

I still got quite a bit of urgency from the situation at hand and how they got lost and then had to think on the fly. Of course, I actually like the characters (I also like the comic so am maybe predisposed to like the show?), like the way the zombies are used (and presumably WILL be used), and think the slow burn will have some nice payoffs. I also think Shane and Otis getting the supplies (but not getting out) in episode first built on the urgency of Carl (they couldn’t afford to just take an episode away from Rick & Carl to focus on Shane) yet also added to the tension in that they got IN but are very much NOT close to getting out). Plus, it was not going to be a very long assignment, it was meant to be very in-and-out. So I think they deserve some slack for trying to balance some of this stuff.

-Cheers

By: Dave I

10.24.2011 @ 4:22 PM

Good episode. I’ve read the comics but I’m thinking they might diverge in feel (and maybe even in the plot) in some very dramatic ways. I think this show, and the comic for that matter, does better when it focuses on the people and how the Zombie Apocalypse really only served to condense the problems that existed before and really make their true colors shine through brighter.

As a plug to something I have no involvement in whatsoever, if you haven’t read the comic it’s worth a shot. The show and comic are both good enough to warrant checking out on their own, and different enough to not be redundant.

-Cheers

By: Fred

10.24.2011 @ 5:46 PM

Is no one else bugged at all by the fact that Shane tried his damnedest to rape Lori last season, and the only consequences for it are Shane’s being all hostile and wanting to leave? Lori berates him for not being more chummy with her son! And now, Shane’s all heroic… if that leads to sexual tension with Lori, I’m seriously going to stop watching.

By: Dave I

10.24.2011 @ 6:38 PM

Well, it adds conflict. Am I bugged by it? I am not approving of it. However (and this is not defending it), it IS a bit muddied by them having a history together. I also think the consequences of that, and everything around Lori & Shane, will probably still play out. I would have to think Shane then being heroic and risking his life to save Carl make him more tragic (potentially, maybe he ends up just finding redemption, who knows?).

-Cheers

By: HitFix User

10.24.2011 @ 7:48 PM

I have a bunch of friends that get together on Sunday nights just to watch this show, and so far we’re finding this season severely lacking. As I understand it from Spinwell’s review above, the new showrunner wrote these two eps, and if that’s the case, I’m very concerned with THE WALKING DEAD’s future. In short, we enjoy the show, but we’re starting to question the current writing teams worthiness of the material they’ve been given.

And now an unsolicited list of problems with the show so far this season!

1) Repetetive/Redundant/Unnecessary Stuff:

– Last week, why did we have to see TWO people do the “God, if you’re still there, please help me/us” prayer?!

…how bout instead, a Shane/Carl heart-to-heart… or maybe someone reacts in anger to prayer, i.e., “can’t you see if he’s up there he stopped listenin’ long ago!” type outburst. NOPE! Same prayer twice!!

– Last week, a kid was in danger. This week, A KID IS IN DANGER! I can’t wait for next week when we go back to the first kid in danger, or maybe even introduce a brand new kid TO PUT IN DANGER! ONE of the reasons this episode is boring, is because everyone is doing the same “Oh no! The children!!” crap they were doing last week.

2) Why did we need to waste five (5) minutes convincing Rick that he couldn’t leave Carl’s bedside?

As Rick isn’t a moron, and as Shane is not a siamese twin of Rick’s, the solution seemed PRETTY obvious. As former/current partners/friends, the wordless understanding that Rick couldn’t leave, & Shane’s wordless response that Rick wouldn’t have to, should have taken no more than 30 seconds.

Rick is smarter than this, and the audience is smarter than this. That just leaves our Writers.

3) If you’re gonna do flashbacks, do `em GOODER!

At the end of last season, we had an AWESOME flashback giving us a better understanding of what Shane has done & thus what he’s going through, making the love triangle plot more complex & grey.

Last night, we get to see Lori be informed of a shooting, to help us appreciate it when Lori is informed of a shooting?? Me & my viewing group DESPERATELY CRAVE more LOST-like flashbacks, but they have to actually contribute to the story, OR parallel the episode’s plot or theme, like LOST did so well.

Instead of constantly seeing Rick & Lori fretting over Carl without any real character development, how about going back & forth to the flashback to see in what other creative ways Rick’s shooting paralleled Carl’s? And save the high school mission for it’s own episode!

4) Daryl is TOO awesome

At this point, most people put Daryl up as one of their favorite characters (along with Glenn, who I think was allowed ONE line last night). While he’s SLIGHTLY stubborn, he’s a clear assett to the team’s survival, he keeps innappropriate comments to a minimum, and whatever `bout of racism he gained from his brother seems to have cleared up. My Viewing Group pretty much was on Team Daryl since the return to Atlanta.

This means less conflict, and maybe that’s because the writer’s have wanted to focus on the love triangle, but THAT conflict is startin to get a bit stale, & it would be nice to see Daryl gradually go from dick to Captain Awesome, rather than just have it happen as quickly as it has.

To all the apologists out there, we were where you are, but we simply don’t want this show to fall victim to bad/lazy/under-intelligent writing.

By: Dave I

10.24.2011 @ 9:46 PM

1) Redundancy & Unnecessary “Stuff”; I think the two weeks of kids-in-peril was not redundant to me so much as too compressed. I’d almost rather they got rid of one kids-in-peril plotline at a time. Still, I DO like that they are willing to let these things take their time. As for the prayer? They could (should?) have mixed it up more, yet it’s not unlikely people would fall back on their faith and maybe in more or less the same traditional (or cliche) ways. But yeah, looking at it through that lens, they should have done things a bit less similar (two kids-in-danger, two “God, if you’re up there” prayers, etc.).

2) Rick wanting to leave WAS impossible since he’s Carol’s blood bank. Yet it seemed understandable since 1) He does not want to be there seeing his son die, 2) He’s exhausted, low on blood, and therefore believably irrational, and 3) Rick is THE leader. You have a point of why it’s daft he would consider going. Still, that’s his role. Everything ends up falling on him. In his state, I could see him just thinking he could go the five miles, get the stuff, and get back. That’s who he is and what he does.

3) I did not dislike the flashback. I presumed it would probably have a payoff later. It could have had more character development, however I’ll accept it was meant to show some depth about (and relationship between) Lori and Shane. So it did not really disappoint me like it did you.

4) Agreed. He’s a bit too awesome. I totally agree he also went from racist to Cpt. Awesome way, WAY too fast. They could have taken a cue from Sawyer on LOST for that on how to make a guy grow into an anti-hero a little more naturally. They had him a little TOO cool to T Dawg a little TOO soon. Granted, racism is bad but Daryl going through such a complete transformation so fast seems a bit, well, scripted.

That aside, regarding the less-conflict/more-love-triangle . . . I’m not sure I agree. I think any love connection between Lori and Shane is done except any possible fallout with them and Rick and Carl. I also think they will have plenty of opportunities to add conflict with the people at the farm, exploring the world, trying to find food, drink, shelter, medicine, figuring out a long-term plan, and any bad guys they meet or morally gray situations they are put into. I hope they do not turn Rick, Shane, and Lori into a long-term Jack-Kate-Sawyer love triangle though.

I think you have some relevant concerns. I’m still a bit on the fence (or not seeing as much of a problem) regarding some of the things you are mentioning.

-Cheers

By: Mark in Omaha

10.24.2011 @ 11:28 PM

Carlos, all very valid points. I’m really starting to loose interest in the show as well. Noticed that Glenn wasn’t getting any lines and the lines Dale got weren’t very good.

By: Jim

10.24.2011 @ 7:57 PM

Yeesh, long thread, so sorry if I’m repeating something here, but does it seem to anyone else that the zombies are different this season? they seem more willful and aggressive, seems to me the one that went after the little girl gave a grunt of evil intent when he lunged at her, whereas last season they seemed more like animals following a need to feed. Also, they seem faster and more agile. My recollection is last year they were slow and clumsy, but relentless, their strength coming from sheer numbers.

By: Dave I

10.24.2011 @ 9:55 PM

They do seem to have upped the cardio. I suppose there COULD be explanations for it (e.g. “fresher” zombies), however I did notice the same thing, mainly in when Shane & Otis were forced to make like they were at a track meet or something to get away from what has traditionally been a slow, clumsy, and easily-escape-able creation. However, I thought there was a scene in the book where a zombie was eating a deer, implying it had caught & killed the animal. Hence, maybe it’s not entirely out of line. I did notice what you’re saying though.

-Cheers

By: Miles

10.24.2011 @ 10:54 PM

I’ve noticed a lot of complaints about this, but when you go back and watch, they’ve been remarkably consistent.

When a walker is by itself, it’s mostly aimless and slow. It gets motivated to move more quickly for food, but doesn’t seem to know how to get it and clumsily lurches.

When there is a large pack of walkers, they pick up on cues from each other and recognize that there is competition for the food. This causes them to run and have a singular focus.

The difference in behavior from one walker to a pack of them was referenced as far back as the pilot, when the man whose wife turned into a walker gave Rick the advice that one of them isn’t a problem but to stay away from the packs. In that same episode, Rick easily dispatched several lone walkers, but was chased down by thousands of sprinting walkers to hide in a tank.

By: blockparty

10.25.2011 @ 12:12 AM

i was thinking about that too and two additional explanations come to mind. the first might be the scarcity of food: it seems likely that the zombies’ food source over the last couple of weeks (days? months?) has begun to shrink as the living have either fled the region or joined the ever-growing army of the undead. thus, when a zombie or zombies see living flesh, instinct kicks in and they up their cardio to chase down dinner. the second possibility is darwinian: could this be the quickly mutating virus changing the zombie dynamic? might we be headed for running zombies? i dont think they will gain executive functioning, but many viruses in current medical literature mutate extremely quickly: the flu changes each year. Hepatitis C mutates so quickly that a vaccine is nearly impossible. HIV is able to gain resistance to current medications.

my points is this: it isn’t impossible that the virus (assuming this IS a virus and not a prion-related infection) could change quickly, forcing survivors to continually adapt to a more potent, naturally-selected, virulent virus.

i feel like ian malcolm from jurassic park. “Life… finds a way.”

By: gigantobro

10.24.2011 @ 8:17 PM

i have to disagree w/alan in that i find the melodramatics forced & cliche-ish. especially rick…both in the church and at carl’s side. he is the only source of blood for carl. for him to even consider leaving one time, let alone multiple times, is fored writing. his over-the-topness in the church is laughable. last year wasn’t so bad with this but it’s really bothering me this year.

another point: lasrt week, immediately upon arriving at the highway pile-up they all jump out and start running around a bit carelessly. lori even says something like “you kids an explore just stay in my sight”. i saw absolutely no reason to assume the area was zonmbie-free.

By: Mark in Omaha

10.25.2011 @ 12:09 AM

Week two and we still have about zero plot development. The acting remains weak to laughable, and the “character development” non-existant. I mostly liked Season 1 and was having hopes for this season. Sadly it’s not living up to its potential.

First episode, intrepid survivors fail to notice a very large group of shuffling dead people come up BEHIND them. The direction they just came from. They loose a child, spend the rest of the show looking for her. Stupid and illogical behavior ensues along with impassioned pleas to a Catholic Jesus hanging out in a Baptist church. Episode ends with second child getting shot.

Last night shot child is rushed to kindly rural “Doc”. Impassioned bedside speeches are made, more idiocy ensues. Female character turns down handgun then seperates from main group and is attacked by zombie hiding in wait behind tree, falls down. Back at the vehicles two people who just had a herd of zombies wander through are sitting in shade of the RV and chatting. No one is on lookout. One of the characters begins to make sense, oh wait he has a fever and it’s just “crazy talk”. One group member heads off to a FEMA camp that has been overrun with zombies. Takes a new survivor with him who is older and pretty overweight. They leave the vehicle and have a great idea on how to sneak into the trailer without zombies seeing them, but don’t have any kind of exit strategy.

The adsurdity of their lack of weapons has been discussed before. The only logical explanation is that the budget doesn’t have room. Why did they cut the budget back so far? The greedy bastards at Mad Men wanted more money for some unnecessary seasons.

The truth is Rick is a terrible leader. He puts the entire group at risk time and again. I would have put as much distance between me and his group as soon as possible, like the hispanic family did last season. They don’t post look outs, they don’t establish a perimeter, they suck at acquiring weapons and supplies. He handcuffed one group memeber to a pipe on the roof of a building and left him there. He left the camp in a weakend state to go back and look for him, and to retrieve the weapons they just had to have. One group member gets kidnapped, he gives away half of the weapons. They get back to camp in time to see a bunch of the group get eaten. More of the group leaves, and he leaves one member under a tree, who is infected and going to become a zombie, with a gun! Now he loses a kid and his own kid gets shot.

It is really a shame because this show could be so much better but is sinking fast into the morass of mediocrity that permeates much of television.

By: s.

10.25.2011 @ 12:50 AM

Write a comment… This episode was ok. I just hope the writing improves. IDK if anyone else commented on this but Carl getting shot in the premier was startling. But now we find out the dude didn’t see the kid!? Really? Carl was pretty close to the deer! I’m noo pro-hunter but with a scope on the gun how are u going to miss seeing a person standing there. Maybe the writers couldn’t come up with any other creative explanation. Also, do we believe that Carl is going to die? It will be a shocker if he does. I just hope this doesn’t end up being another predictable season.

By: Hislocal

10.25.2011 @ 1:11 PM

If the bullet went from the gun, straight through the deer, and into Carl, then that means that the deer was directly between Otis and Carl, blocking his sight of the kid. Makes sense to me.

By: Hi!

10.27.2011 @ 7:56 AM

Not only that, but I’ve taken quite a few deer. I use a Savage 11Fxcp3 and I normally use 165 grain boat tail soft point rounds. Starting at about 40 yards they won’t through and through a deer. Even if it does it rarely goes straight through the animal. Also, if he was, by chance, in the through and through range (1-30ish yards) he should of seen the people behind the animal and missed out on the shot. Carl getting shot was obviously just put in for the drama…

By: JB

10.25.2011 @ 2:01 AM

Am I the only person who got a “LOST” vibe last night? The episode started out with a flashback. Lots of running through countryside. Much less zombies and much MORE human drama.

By: dead head

10.25.2011 @ 2:24 AM

good review, though I’d say that this episode was pretty typical for a second episode–sets things up for later more than it’s interested in moving along itself. This review was also pretty good, I thought:

Can I just ask why the plan isn’t to get to the coast, find a boat, and head to some small uninhabited island? At least then, you can reliably expect to be safe from surprise attacks and you will only encounter the zombies when you need to make a suply run to the mainland!

By: Daniel Faradead

10.26.2011 @ 12:03 AM

Do you still trust remote islands, Jim ?? ;D …

By: Joe III

10.25.2011 @ 6:34 PM

My biggest concern about the show is that the plot doesn’t seem to be progressing. Through 2.5 hours of television this season, the group has been driving down a road towards some far off destination which they have no reason to believe will be a safehaven, gotten bogged down on the road, wandtered around looking for lost friends, and stumbled upon a group of survivors who seem to be happy to live in their farm house and wait for someone else to figure out how to resolve the zombie problem. In other words, this whole season to date, other than the singular statement that they are going towards Fort Bragg, has been a tangent.

I actually think a zombie show that was more episodic than serial would be sort of interesting. Just viniettes of what it is like to live in a hopeless world where zombies have taken over and there is no chance to stop them. But that isn’t this show. So if we’re driving towards some sort of resolution, there really needs to be measurable plot progression. So far, we have none. For all we know, these farm house people are just this show’s version of the Tailies from Lost.

By: anotherquestion

10.25.2011 @ 10:07 PM

I always like your incisive commentary, and appreciate that you cannot do a scene-by-scene breakdown, but I think this episode had some real ore that has not yet been mined.

First of all the Deus Ex Machina rescue (“Diva Ex Machina”) of the horseback riding heroine wielding the baseball bat, who retrieved Lori with a minimum of no-nonsense conversation, and who took care of business with unparalleled efficiency.

And second, what of the missing little girl that precipitated all the events of this episode? She seems to be a lost MacGuffin in the saga.

Personally, I cannot understand the comments in the thread about slow pacing, a lack of character development, and other negative comments. The show is intense from beginning to end, even when the drama strays far from the immediate “walker” menace, as it did mostly in this episode.

By: Daniel Faradead

10.25.2011 @ 11:55 PM

I believe that comparing TWD to such shows as Mad Men is like trying to compare a story from Verne or HG Wells to Proust’s “Recherche”: completely out of focus. We are talking about completely different narrative dominions.
I was very skeptic about TWD at the beginning, and part of S1 was almost funny because of the naive and oversimple way it was delivered. But with time, it turned out to be a well crafted show, well paced and growing in its internal complexity.

By: Kujo

10.26.2011 @ 2:10 AM

Solid ep, but yeah, the slow burn is kind of frustrating. Not really sure I want a slow pace for a series about the walking dead, but I don’t really see that changing.

The Dale, and T-Dog scenes didn’t really do anything for me, though that baby car seat scene was haunting.

I echo the comments about Daryl being the best character right now.

By: Blake

10.27.2011 @ 10:24 PM

Best episode yet this season. I’m down on this show but I keep watching, and this one had fewer flaws and more strengths.

A big strength: More screen time for the more likable characters: Daryl, Dale, Shane, T-Dog.

In the comic the female characters aren’t unbearable, but here, I’m hoping Maggie will be the first tolerable female character. This is a flaw of the screenwriting. They could really use a tough but not obnoxious woman of the type that populate the comic.

By: mike

11.01.2011 @ 7:06 PM

I am beginning to really dislike the mother of the girl. Boo hoo, save my girl. But she won’t do anything herself and is blaming everyone else.

Actually, they are all annoying. How long have they been there? And they still are unable to use their brains… Fortify their vehicles, arm everyone. Or how about finding a place to hole up and fortify.